Inquisitor’s Palace

Region	Southern Harbour
Building type	Historical Structure
Address	Inquisitor's Palace, Triq Il-Palazz Ta' L-Isqof, Birgu, Malta
Located Graffiti	Anthropomorphic, Apotropaic Symbols, Dates, Names or Initials, Numbers, Ship Graffiti, Symbols, Text

Built in the 1530s, the Inquisitor’s Palace is a well-known historical location. The building initially served as a headquarters for the Magna Curia Castellania Melitensis, the civil tribunal. Shortly after the building was erected, the Inquisitor Pietro Dusina was allowed to carry out his work as an Inquisitor by means of a tribunal. The building comprises living quarters, a kitchen, official spaces, religious spaces, a tribunal chamber and a prison complex.

Gallery

A stylistic representation of a two-masted ship which was covered in plaster then exposed. The ship exhibits two masts with square sail rigging. The hull of the ship is sectioned by sequential squares, all perforated by a dot. An inscription has been etched on the bottom-most extremity of the graffito.

Etched in a similar style as the ship graffito #1, this example shows four tiers of perforations on the hull. The ship’s rudder can be seen at the stern together with a flag which extends onto another stone block. The rigging of the ship is superimposed by other graffiti.

A ship depicted with a long bowsprit, high freeboard, one mainmast and a mizzen.

A simple depiction of the hull of a seacraft showing a raked bow.

An interesting two-part depiction of one ship. The bow is etched on top of the stern, perhaps due to the limited space on the stone block. The hull has very low freeboard, likely depicting a galley with a set of oars. A cannon can be seen on top of the deck together as well as a person. An anchor hangs from the bow. Three masts carrying yards for lateen sails are present.

This ship graffito exhibits the same perforated square sequence decoration on the hull.

This three-masted ship graffito superimposes an Arabic inscription. The hull is unfinished.

Inquisitor’s Palace

Gallery

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